Lecompton Constitution

The Lecompton Constitution was the second of four proposed constitutions for the US state of Kansas, defeated by the US House of Representatives in 1858. It was written in response to the anti-slavery 1855 Topeka Constitution, and it enshrined slavery in the new state, protected the rights of slaveholders, and made it possible for people to vote on the possibility of more slaves being allowed into the state. President James Buchanan (a "Doughface") endorsed the constitution before the US Constitution, and he was supported by the Southern Democrats. However, Stephen A. Douglas led Northern Democrats in opposition to the constitution, aligning himself with the Republican Party; the constitution was rejected by Congress in 1858.